Ukraine sees sharp summer drop in military aid despite NATO plan

Military aid to Ukraine fell by 43 per cent in July and August compared to the first half of the year, despite the launch of NATO’s new Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative.

This observation was recorded by Germany's Kiel Institute, an economic research organization and influential think tank, in their latest report.

The think tank’s latest analysis highlights a sharp slowdown in deliveries, even though most aid during that period was funnelled through PURL, which was established in July following a meeting between NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and US President Donald Trump.

The PURL mechanism enables the military bloc to purchase ready-made weapons from US stockpiles for Ukraine, funded by contributions from other member states. By August, eight NATO countries—Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden—had joined the initiative, pledging a total of €1.9 billion.

“The overall level of financial and humanitarian support has remained comparatively stable—even in the absence of US contributions,” said Christoph Trebesch, head of the Ukraine Support Tracker and Research Director at the Kiel Institute.

He added that “it is now crucial that this stability extends to military support as well, as Ukraine relies on it to sustain its defence efforts on the ground,” noting that the key question remains how the figures will evolve in the final quarter of the year.

Meanwhile, Kyiv is advancing its Build with Ukraine initiative, which encourages Ukrainian defence firms to set up production lines in NATO countries, deepening cooperation with Western defence industries.

Earlier this month, the Dutch government announced a $127 million investment to co-produce deep-strike drones with Ukraine.

In parallel, the UK and Ukraine launched the LYRA program to develop and expand battlefield technologies. One of its first projects, Project OCTOPUS, will focus on co-developing a new air defence interceptor drone.

By Nazrin Sadigova